If I write technical manuals and they're awesome, which they are, I better get awesome pay. If their marketing department sucks and sales go down by half, that's not my concern. If my 5 mil goes to 2.5 mil, I'll write for a company that pays me 6 mil!
wait!! youre the asshole who writes technical manuals!!??? aww fuck!
i got a tip for ya, the steering/suspension section of a manual should contain at least a parts list for the steering column, my 98 dodge dakota manual had no mention of the steering column beyond instructions on removal of the steering wheel, which any moron could do!
seriously... an acurate description of the manual's steering/ suspension section in vicinity of the tilt steering mechanism's expected location:
section 5.7 Rack and Pinion Assembly
"Most models come equipped with Rack And Pinion Steering Assemblies"
<no further information, not one more word>
section 5.8 Parallelogram Steering Assembly
<detailed instructions on service of parallelogram steering>
section 5.9 Steering column
<how to pull the steering wheel, and thats it>
section 5.10 Dash Bezel Assembly
<incredibly detailed instructions for removing the 5 screws that hold the plastic beauty plate on the dash.>
i went through the entire book and found NOTHING about the rack and pinion steering assembly, or the tilt steering column assembly, which was the problem, and it was NOT the old fashions saginaw system!
i finally had to buy a complete steering column from a junkyard to disassemble myself just so i would know where the parts were supposed to be!
dude, fuck you with a fireplug!! i hate you with a passion that burns with the fury of a thousand suns.
Edt: for those who need to know, the entire tilt steering column assembly on the dodge dakota is a spring-loaded knuckle joint and bearing mechanism secured by a heavy bolt and steering box U-joint under the hood and a /14 ounce snap ring on the steering wheel end.
the spring is under about 40 kilos of pressure, and the snap ring hangs on by the edge of it's fingernails in a groove less than 2 mm deep in the steering column main shaft with no additional support. any sufficiently violent jolt to the front suspension can break the snap ring free (such as hitting a curb or a pothole), causing the shaft to "sproing" like a triphammer and yank the steering wheel and it's electronics down into the steering assembly to the limit of the steering wheel nut. this results in electrical components in the cruise control, horn, and airbag systems being destroyed (pulverised would be a better description) and could result in the unexpected deployment of the airbag right in your face. the "clockspring mechanism" that holds the wiring for all steering wheel mounted electronics costs around $250. and once it's "sproinged", it "sproings" itself quite readily forever more until you replace the entire column assembly.
TLDR; dont buy dodges anymore. they all use the same candy-ass system.